No matter the occasion, the sky lantern is a magnificent way to make it really special. The flame that heats the air inside the lanterns to make them lighter than air carries with it the power of fire, which has been a powerful symbol many centuries.
The spirit of the hearth fire, for example, was once thought of as female and was widely worshiped as a goddess. In Greek myth she was Hestia, meaning “the essence of things”, a formless essence symbolised by the flame, which flows through everything that has life. In Celtic lore, the spirit of the hearth is Brighid, or Bride. The Celtic goddess was invited into the home by the woman of the house, in the form of a doll or corn dolly dressed in maiden white. The fire’s ashes examined as oracles for that Brighid had visited. For instance, a mark that looked like a swan’s footprint was a lucky omen (the swan was an aspect of Brighid). Many Irish homes still have a Brighid’s four-armed cross hung up. The Arabian Djinns are composed of fire without smoke, and have fire in their veins instead of blood. Will o’ the wisps are bog fairies that appear as curious lights over swamps and marshes; they jump and dance with the aim of leading travellers astray.
But of course you won’t be leading anyone astray at your next big party – with the sky lantern everyone will be looking up, and ahead, filled with the spirit of fire and a positive future.
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